Financial Services

If last year was any indication of what financial markets will look like in 2019, we are in for a very bumpy ride. Last December alone, the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell and rose more than 8 percent as finance experts struggled to make heads or tails of a bizarre political climate, unsteady interest rates and global tariffs.

Combating money laundering is no longer a choice but a must for banks. But the effort that must go into fighting it is daunting. How can technology, especially artificial intelligence and machine learning, battle the costs and drains on monetary and human resources required for AML compliance, making the whole process a lot easier and more effective? Can AI be trusted to do the job right?

Talent does tend to follow the money, which is one reason why remunerative financial careers have lured many of the brightest and the best. Critics argue that this talent drain is a drain on the prosperity and growth of the economy, diverting the most qualified to less valuable jobs; but do statistics indicate that financial jobs may instead produce a net societal benefit?